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Type 2 Diabetes: Screening for Adults

Topic Overview

If you are age 45 or older, the American Diabetes Association
recommends that you get tested for diabetes every 3 years.1 The United States Preventive Services Task Force
(USPSTF) recommends diabetes testing for people who
have blood pressure higher than 135/80.2 Talk with
your doctor about what is putting you at risk and how often you need to be
tested.

The American Diabetes Association recommends screening for
prediabetes—which may lead to
type 2 diabetes—if you:1

Are overweight and are age 45 or older. Get
checked for prediabetes during your next routine office visit.

Are
at a healthy weight and are age 45 or older. During a routine office visit, ask
your doctor if testing is appropriate.

Are younger than 45 and
overweight—your
body mass index (BMI) is 25 or greater—and you have
one or more other things that put you at risk for type 2 diabetes. These
include:

High blood pressure, over 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), or you
take medicine to control high blood pressure.

A family history of type 2
diabetes. People who have a parent, brother, or sister with prediabetes or type
2 diabetes have a greater risk of getting the disease than adults who do not
have a family history of the disease.

A history of
gestational diabetes or having a baby weighing more
than 9 lb (4 kg). Women who
have had gestational diabetes or who have had a large baby are at
greater-than-average risk for getting type 2 diabetes later in life.

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